BTS cancel their 2020 Map of the Soul concert tour, initially postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic

K-pop superstars were to have begun the concert tour in April 2020, and until now had only postponed it in the hope some of the 39 dates could be salvaged

With the rapid spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus ruling out live-music performance in most places, the group are likely to hold more online events

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BTS perform onstage in Seoul for the 2020 American Music Awards. The K-pop group’s 2020 global concert tour, previously postponed, has now been cancelled. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment/AMA2020/Getty Images

Published: 11:05am, 20 Aug 2021Updated: 11:13am, 20 Aug 2021

Nearly a year after it was supposed to have ended, superstar K-pop boy band BTS have announced the cancellation of their 2020 Map of the Soul concert tour.

The tour had initially been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but on Friday the band’s label, Big Hit Music, finally announced its cancellation.

“Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour,” read a statement from the company, a subsidiary of Hybe Corp.

“However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned. Therefore we must announce the cancellation of the BTS Map of the Soul tour.”

A still from BTS’ Permission to Dance music video.

The 39-date concert series was originally planned to begin in Seoul in April 2020 and continue until September of last year, with the final planned dates in Japan after tour legs in Europe and North America. No Hong Kong date was announced.